Category Archives: Dua

Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggressors.

How does one transgress in supplicating? Ibn Taymiyyah (May Allah have mercy on him) said, “Transgression in supplication occurs in different ways. A person becomes transgressors n his supplications if he does one of the following:

– he asks Allah to help him in something that is haram

– asking Allah to do things that Allah does not do such as he wants to live forever, to make him no longer require things that are necessary to human’s need like food and drink

– asking to do what Allah hates

Transgression is also interpreted to mean raising one’s voice as one is supplicating

Abdullah ibn Mughaffal heard his son say, “O Allah, for when I enter Paradise, I ask You for the white castle that is to the right of Paradise”. Abdullah said, “My son, ask Allah for Paradise, and take refuge with him from the Hellfire, for indeed the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasalam) say,

“Verily there will be in this nation who will transgress in their purification and suplication.”

2. When one is supplicating, it is disliked for him to think up an invocation of rhyming words

One should not be extravagant or affected when he invokes Allah and concocting an invocation of rhyming words. True, some of the Prophet’s sallallahu alaihi wasalam supplications contain a sequence of phrases whose ending rhymes, when rhyming did occur, it was not intentional but rather from his (sallallahu alaihi wasalam) eloquence.

Ibn Abbas said to Ikrimah,

Watch out for rhymed supplications and avoid them, for I know that the Messenger salllalahu alaihi wasalam and his companions would do exactly that. (Bukhari)

3. Asking help for sinning or breaking off ties of relation, or being impatient for the answer to one’s supplication

The following prevents one’s supplication from being unanswered

i. One invokes Allah to help him perform an unlawful act

ii. One invokes Allah to help him sever ties with his relatives

iii. One becomes impatient in waiting for his supplications to be answered

Abu Hurairah related that Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasalam said,

A slave will continue to be answered (in his supplication) , as long as he doesn’t invoke for a sin (to be carried out) or for breaking ties of thw womb and as long as he does not rush. It was said, “O Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wasalam, and what is rushing?” He said, “he says, “I supplicated and I supplicated,but I did not see my (supplication) answered; at that point he becomes weary and forsakes supplication.”

The answer to one’s supplication might be delayed due to the wisdom of Allah that is hidden from him. Allah’s choice for us is far better than what we ask for ourselves. Be persistent in our invocation, in humility, he must not be impatient when the answer of the supplication is delayed.

So even if we does everything that is required for us to to have our supplication be answered, we still might not get what we asked for.

Have trust in Allah. It does not mean that Allah does not love you. Alah does not give because he is stingy rather because he is saving for something that is far more better for you. he is the One who creates you and the One who is in control of His creation, and thus has full knowledge of what is good for you.

Let us reflect on the stories of the first man created. The story of him and the father of evil – Iblis. How both of them ended their stay in the blissful jannah because of their disobedience to Allah.

Adam alaihi salam and Hawa, both of them ate the forbidden fruit while Iblis refused to prostrate unto Adam upon being commanded by Allah.

What we need to look at are the reactions of them two so we may reap lessons from this major point of history of mankind.

Iblis

Surah Al Aaraf 7: 11-18

And surely, We created you (your father Adam) and then gave you shape (the noble shape of a human being); then We told the angels, “Prostrate yourselves to Adam”, and they prostrated themselves, except Iblîs (Satan), he refused to be of those who prostrated themselves. (11)
(Allâh) said: “What prevented you (O Iblîs) that you did not prostrate yourself, when I commanded you?” Iblîs said: “I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire, and him You created from clay.” (12)
(Allâh) said: “(O Iblîs) get down from this (Paradise), it is not for you to be arrogant here. Get out, for you are of those humiliated and disgraced.” (13) (Iblîs) said: “Allow me respite till the Day they are raised up (i.e. the Day of Resurrection).” (14)
(Allâh) said: “You are of those respited.” (15)
(Iblîs) said: “Because You have sent me astray, surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path (16)
Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You).” (17)
(Allâh) said (to Iblîs) “Get out from this (Paradise) disgraced and expelled. Whoever of them (mankind) will follow you, then surely I will fill Hell with you all.” (18)

Adam alaihi salam

Al Aaraf 7: 19-25

“And O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in Paradise, and eat thereof as you both wish, but approach not this tree otherwise you both will be of the Zâlimûn (unjust and wrong-doers).” (19)
Then Shaitân (Satan) whispered suggestions to them both in order to uncover that which was hidden from them of their private parts (before); he said: “Your Lord did not forbid you this tree save that you should become angels or become of the immortals.” (20)
And he [Shaitân (Satan)] swore by Allâh to them both (saying): “Verily, I am one of the sincere well-wishers for you both.” (21)
So he misled them with deception. Then when they tasted of the tree, that which was hidden from them of their shame (private parts) became manifest to them and they began to cover themselves with the leaves of Paradise (in order to cover their shame). And their Lord called out to them (saying): “Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you: Verily, Shaitân (Satan) is an open enemy unto you?” (22) They said: “Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers.” (23) (Allâh) said: “Get down, one of you is an enemy to the other [i.e. Adam, Hawwa (Eve), and Shaitân (Satan),]. On earth will be a dwelling-place for you and an enjoyment, – for a time.” (24)
He said: “Therein you shall live, and therein you shall die, and from it you shall be brought out (i.e.resurrected).” (25)

A little bit of analysing
When shaytan was asked why did he not obey the command, he replied by saying that he is better than Adam because he is created from fire while Adam was created from clay. Where did he get the idea that fire is better than clay? He refused to admit his guilty but instead showed his arrogance and pride.

And when being informed of his punishment by Allah, he made du’a. Instead of making repentance he asked to have a respite so that he could make Adam and his sons (all of us) also disobey Allah.

When Adam was asked why did he disobeyed, they did not give any excuse but rather immediately admit their guilt, beg for forgiveness by Allah’s will and humbled themselves.

This teach us Insya Allah about du’a – what to do and what not.

Supplication must be directed to Allah alone.

Ghafir 40: 60

And your Lord said: “Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islâmic Monotheism)] (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islâmic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!” (60)

Allah, Mighty and Glorious is He, has commanded us to supplicate to Him and has promised to respond to us when we do so.

Alhamdlillah, Allah with His boundless generosity and endless mercy. He has made the servant’s supplication as the fulfillment for his needs and then it is also rewarded as an act of worship.

Whereas for those who do not ask from Him or when he neglects asking Allah, Allah describes him as being arrogant!

Supplication is Worship

Prophet salllahu alaihi wasalm made it clear that supplication is a part of worshiping Allah,

Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet sallallahu alahi wasalam said, “Whoever does not supplicate to Allah invokes His wrath.”

Anyone who does not supplicate to Allah or who supplicates to other than Allah, then that person has – according to the above mentioned hadith – scorned His worship.

When you supplicate to Allah, you will taste the spiritual sweetness of invoking Allah and you humble before him. To cry before Allah and to beg Him.

Lesson
1. Invoke only to Allah
2. When you invoke to Allah, he will respond
3. When you invoke to Allah you are rewarded.
4. making du’a is an act of worship.
5. Those who do not invoke to Allah, Allah is angry at him.
6. Those who do not invoke to Allah, they are arrogant.

Al Naml 27: 62

Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls on Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after generations? Is there any ilâh (god) with Allâh? Little is that you remember!

And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad SAW) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright. Al Baqarah 2: 186

According to the ayat, any supplication that fulfills the correct requirements will, be answered by Allah.

In a hadith

Allah is Shy and Most Generous. He is Shy that when a man raises his hands to Him (in Du’aa), He does not allow him to put them empty in failure.” [Ahmad, Abu Dawood and At-Tirmidhee]

Abu Said al khudri related that the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasalam said, “No Muslims makes du’a to Allah, without being granted one of three things by Allah: it hastens the fulfillment of what he asked for, or it is saved up for him until the Day of Judgment; or it prevents some kind of trouble from happening to him – unless it was for something bad, or something that might break the family ties.

(At Tirmidhi)

Lessons

1. Allah stresses again that He responds to du’a.

2. Du’a to ask Allah to remove evil.

3. Allah is shy if His slave raise his hands and ask Him for something and He doesn’t give it to him. So make du’a often.

Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasalam said,

Nothing drives back Al Qadaa ( a decree) except for supplication, and nothing increases a (person’s) lifespan except for al Birr – At Tirmidhee. This hadeeth is Hassan Ghareeb.

Lesson

1. Do not underestimate a du’a for it will remove evil and Allah knows best how He will respond to you by your du’a.

Reference

1. The purification of the soul – Compiled from the works of Ibn Rajab al Hanbali, Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyya and Abu hamid al Ghazali.

Since this week we have been talking about wind and rain, we will focus the lessons on learning about Prophet Hud and his people on specifically two matters for now.

Can we imagine for a moment suffering drought and famine for sometime. Then at a distant we see dark cloud approaching. We must be in delight for finally rain is coming. And we can feel the wind coming.

But alas, for the people of ‘Ad, the dark cloud coming is indeed the cloud of punishment. Punishment that they have asked to hasten.

In a hadith, it is reported that rasulullah salallahu alaihi wasalm would always ask for dua whenever the wind blow. he would seek refuge with Allah for any evil in it.

The Book of Prayers (Kitab Al-Salat)

Muslim :: Book 4 : Hadith 1962

‘Ata’ b. Rabah reported on the authority of ‘A’isha, the wife of the Apostle of Allah (way peace be upon him), who said: Whenever the wind was stormy, the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to say: O Allah! I ask Thee for what is good in it, and the good which it contains, and the good of that which it was sent for. I seek refuge with Thee from what is evil in it, what evil it contains, and the evil of that what it was sent for; and when there was a thunder and lightning in the sky, his colour underwent a change, and he went out and in, backwards and forwards; and when the rain came, he felt relieved, and I noticed that (the sign of relief) on his face. ‘A’isha asked him (about it) and he said: It may be as the people of ‘Ad said: When they saw a cloud formation coming to their valley they said:” It is a cloud which would give us rain” (Qur’an, xlvi. 24).

And Prophet Muhammad salallahu alaihi wasalam would always look worried whenever he sees dark cloud approcahing for the fear of the same cloud that Prophet ‘Ad’s people had.

The Book of Prayers (Kitab Al-Salat)

Muslim :: Book 4 : Hadith 1963

‘A’isha, the wife of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him), reported: I never saw Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) laugh to such an extent that I could see his uvula-whereas he used to smile only-and when he saw dark clouds or wind, (the signs of fear) were depicted on his face. I said: Messenger of Allah, I find people being happy when they ace the dark cloud in the hope that it would bring rain, but I find that when you see that (the cloud) there is an anxiety on your face. He said: ‘A’isha, I am afraid that there may be a calamity in it, for a people was afflicted with wind, when the people saw the calamity they said:” It is a cloud which would give us rain” (Qur’an. xlvi. 24).

This is a good reminder to make du’a when we feel that rain is coming. May Allah spare us from any calamity.

We discussed briefly on prayers for rain. In Qtar, they performed the prayers at the end of the year 2008. Read HERE. It has not rained for nearly a year in 2008 in Qtar.

There will be time that Allah will and can test us and not send His blessing to us. I think reminding them with real event will help explain to them that these are real issues and water may not come to us all the time.

Knowing how Prophet Muhammad salallahu alaihi wasalam approach this, will help us get closer to Allah who is the one we turned to in happiness and calamity.

The special prayer asking for rain is called Istiqaa’

In summary the prayer is done as the following

To ask a pious person to lead the istiqaa

In open space. It is not done in the masjid.

Without adhan and iqamah

It is done in congregational

They should come in ragged clothes supplicating to Allah tearfully and with a humble and heavy heart.

Dawud :: Book 3 : Hadith 1163

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas:

Ishaq ibn Abdullah ibn Kinanah reported: Al-Walid ibn Utbah or (according to the version of Uthman) al-Walid ibn Uqbah, the then governor of Medina, sent me to Ibn Abbas to ask him about the prayer for rain offered by the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him). He said: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) went out wearing old clothes in a humble and lowly manner until he reached the place of prayer. He then ascended the pulpit, but he did not deliver the sermon as you deliver (usually). He remained engaged in making supplication, showing humbleness (to Allah) and uttering the takbir (Allah is most great). He then offered two rak’ahs of prayer as done on the ‘Id (festival).

Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat): Details of Commencing Prayer

Dawud :: Book 3 : Hadith 1169

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin:

The people complained to the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) of the lack of rain, so he gave an order for a pulpit. It was then set up for him in the place of prayer. He fixed a day for the people on which they should come out.

Aisha said: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him), when the rim of the sun appeared, sat down on the pulpit, and having pronounced the greatness of Allah and expressed His praise, he said: You have complained of drought in your homes, and of the delay in receiving rain at the beginning of its season. Allah has ordered you to supplicate Him has and promised that He will answer your prayer.

Then he said: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Universe, the Compassionate, the Merciful, the Master of the Day of Judgment. There is no god but Allah Who does what He wishes. O Allah, Thou art Allah, there is no deity but Thou, the Rich, while we are the poor. Send down the rain upon us and make what Thou sendest down a strength and satisfaction for a time.

He then raised his hands, and kept raising them till the whiteness under his armpits was visible. He then turned his back to the people and inverted or turned round his cloak while keeping his hands aloft. He then faced the people, descended and prayed two rak’ahs.

Allah then produced a cloud, and the storm of thunder and lightning came on. Then the rain fell by Allah’s permission, and before he reached his mosque streams were flowing. When he saw the speed with which the people were seeking shelter, he (peace_be_upon_him) laughed till his back teeth were visible.

Then he said: I testify that Allah is Omnipotent and that I am Allah’s servant and apostle.

Invoking Allah for Rain (Istisqaa)

Bukhari :: Book 2 :: Volume 17 :: Hadith 123

Narrated Anas:

Whenever drought threatened them, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab, used to ask Al-Abbas bin ‘Abdul Muttalib to invoke Allah for rain. He used to say, “O Allah! We used to ask our Prophet to invoke You for rain, and You would bless us with rain, and now we ask his uncle to invoke You for rain. O Allah ! Bless us with rain.”(1) And so it would rain.

Other hadith

Invoking Allah for Rain (Istisqaa)

Bukhari :: Book 2 :: Volume 17 :: Hadith 126

Narrated Sharik bin ‘Abdullah bin Abi Namir:

I heard Anas bin Malik saying, “On a Friday a person entered the main Mosque through the gate facing the pulpit while Allah’s Apostle was delivering the Khutba. The man stood in front of Allah’s Apostle and said, ‘O Allah’s Apostle! The livestock are dying and the roads are cut off; so please pray to Allah for rain.’ ” Anas added, “Allah’s Apostle (p.b.u.h) raised both his hands and said, ‘O Allah! Bless us with rain! O Allah! Bless us with rain! O Allah! Bless us with rain!’ ” Anas added, “By Allah, we could not see any trace of cloud in the sky and there was no building or a house between us and (the mountains of) Sila.” Anas added, “A heavy cloud like a shield appeared from behind it (i.e. Sila’ Mountain). When it came in the middle of the sky, it spread and then rained.” Anas further said, “By Allah! We could not see the sun for a week. Next Friday a person entered through the same gate and at that time Allah’s Apostle was delivering the Friday’s Khutba. The man stood in front of him and said, ‘O Allah’s Apostle! The livestock are dying and the roads are cut off, please pray to Allah to with-hold rain.’ ” Anas added, “Allah’s Apostle I raised both his hands and said, ‘O Allah! Round about us and not on us. O Allah! On the plateaus, on the mountains, on the hills, in the valleys and on the places where trees grow.’ So the rain stopped and we came out walking in the sun.” Sharik asked Anas whether it was the same person who had asked for the rain (the last Friday). Anas replied that he did not know.

Invoking Allah for Rain (Istisqaa)

Bukhari :: Book 2 :: Volume 17 :: Hadith 135

Narrated Abbas bin Tamim

that his uncle (who was one of the companions of the Prophet) had told him, “The Prophet went out with the people to invoke Allah for rain for them. He stood up and invoked Allah for rain, then faced the Qibla and turned his cloak (inside out) and it rained.”

Invoking Allah for Rain (Istisqaa)

Bukhari :: Book 2 :: Volume 17 :: Hadith 122

Narrated ‘Abdullah bin Dinar:

My father said, “I heard Ibn ‘Umar reciting the poetic verses of Abu Talib: And a white (person) (i.e. the Prophet) who is requested to pray for rain and who takes care of the orphans and is the guardian of widows.” Salim’s father (Ibn ‘Umar) said, “The following poetic verse occurred to my mind while I was looking at the face of the Prophet (p.b.u.h) while he was praying for rain. He did not get down till the rain water flowed profusely from every roof-g utter: And a white (person) who is requested to pray for rain and who takes care of the orphans and is the guardian of widows . . . And these were the words of Abu Talib.”

Invoking Allah for Rain (Istisqaa)

Bukhari :: Book 2 :: Volume 17 :: Hadith 125

Narrated ‘Abdullah bin Zaid

The Prophet went towards the Musalla and invoked Allah for rain. He faced the Qibla and wore his cloak inside out, and offered two Rakat.

Invoking Allah for Rain (Istisqaa)

Bukhari :: Book 2 :: Volume 17 :: Hadith 141

Narrated Anas bin Malik

The Prophet never raised his hands for any invocation except for that of Istisqa’ and he used to raise them so much that the whiteness of his armpits became visible. (Note: It may be that Anas did not see the Prophet raising his hands, but it is narrated that the Prophet used to raise his hands for invocations other than Istisqa. See Hadith No. 807 & 808 and also see Hadith No. 612, Vol. 5).

We talk alot about rain these past two weeks. Today we covered what is the right attitude we should adopt when rain stops our fun planning.

Alhamdulillah the kids even though they know they should say Alhamdulillah that it rains, there were honest enough to say that they would be disappointed if their plans were cut short.

We have been talking about rain so much this week and they do understand just how much blessings are there in rain. A project coming up soon. He he.

And that Allah is the one who creates rain and let it pour on us as blessings. Praise Him for the blessings.

Do not be angry and disappointed. In fact this is the time to make dua’. For when it rains, dua’ is most maqbul. Subhanallah!

Jihad (Kitab Al-Jihad)

Dawud :: Book 14 : Hadith 2534

Narrated Sahl ibn Sa’d:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Two (prayers) are not rejected, or seldom rejected: Prayer at the time of the call to prayer, and (the prayer) at the time of fighting, when the people grapple with each other. Musa said: Rizq ibn Sa’id ibn AbdurRahman reported from AbuHazim on the authority of Sahl ibn Sa’d from the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) as saying: And while it is raining.

Among the dua that rasulullah salallahu alaihi wasalam taught are

INVOCATION FOR WHEN THE WIND BLOWS

Oh Allah I ask you for the good of it and seek refuge in You against its evil

The Book of Prayers (Kitab Al-Salat)

Muslim :: Book 4 : Hadith 1962

‘Ata’ b. Rabah reported on the authority of ‘A’isha, the wife of the Apostle of Allah (way peace be upon him), who said: Whenever the wind was stormy, the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to say: O Allah! I ask Thee for what is good in it, and the good which it contains, and the good of that which it was sent for. I seek refuge with Thee from what is evil in it, what evil it contains, and the evil of that what it was sent for; and when there was a thunder and lightning in the sky, his colour underwent a change, and he went out and in, backwards and forwards; and when the rain came, he felt relieved, and I noticed that (the sign of relief) on his face. ‘A’isha asked him (about it) and he said: It may be as the people of ‘Ad said: When they saw a cloud formation coming to their valley they said:” It is a cloud which would give us rain” (Qur’an, xlvi. 24).

General Behavior (Kitab Al-Adab)

Dawud :: Book 41 : Hadith 5078

Narrated AbuHurayrah:

I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) say: The wind comes from Allah’s mercy.

Salamah’s version has: It is Allah’s mercy; it (sometimes) brings blessing and (sometimes) brings punishment. So when you see it, do not revile it, but ask Allah for some of its good, and seek refuge in Allah from its evil.

Classified sahih by Albani

INVOCATION WHEN IT THUNDERS

Glory to Him whom thunder and angels glorify due to fear of Him

Al Muwatta. Classified sahih by Al Albani

ASKING FOR RAIN

Oh Allah shower upon us abundant rain, beneficial and not harmful, swiftly and not delayed

Abu Dawud.

Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat): Details of Commencing Prayer

Dawud :: Book 3 : Hadith 1165

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:

The people came to the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) weeping (due to drought). He said (making supplication): O Allah! give us rain which will replenish us, abundant, fertilising and profitable, not injurious, granting it now without delay. He (the narrator) said: Thereupon the sky became overcast.

INVOCATION WHEN IT RAINS

Oh Allah Bring beneficial rain clouds

Al Bukhari

Invoking Allah for Rain (Istisqaa)

Bukhari :: Book 2 :: Volume 17 :: Hadith 142

Narrated Aisha:

Whenever Allah’s Apostle saw the rain, he used to say, “O Allah! Let it be a strong fruitful rain.”

SUPPLICATION AFTER IT RAINS

It has rained by the bounty of Allah

AL Bukhari

Military Expeditions led by the Prophet (pbuh) (Al-Maghaazi)

Bukhari :: Book 5 :: Volume 59 :: Hadith 468

Narrated Zaid bin Khalid:

We went out with Allah’s Apostle in the year of Al-Hudaibiya. One night it rained and Allah’s Apostle led us in the Fajr prayer and (after finishing it), turned to us and said, ” Do you know what your Lord has said?” We replied, “Allah and His Apostle know it better.” He said, “Allah said:– “(Some of) My slaves got up believing in Me, And (some of them) disbelieving in Me. The one who said: We have been given Rain through Allah’s Mercy and Allah’s Blessing and Allah’s Bounty, Then he is a believer in Me, and is a Disbeliever in the star. And whoever said: We have been given rain because of such-and-such star, Then he is a believer in the star, and is a disbeliever in Me.”

And we can continue making our own personal dua’. After all this is the time of blessings. Take advantage of it.

And then we added that we can always think of something nice to do indoors when it rains. Alhamdulillah for the rain.

Summary

1. Do not be angry when it rains

2. rain is a blessing from Allah

3. Take advantage of this blessed time by making lots of dua’

4. Think of something we can do indoors. I am sure there are many, Insya Allah.

We reread our lapbook again. This time looking at their notes on the Laylatul Qadr. Since we are now in the midst of the last ten nights of Ramadhan. Subhanallah! Time really fast.

We also read the children’s book, “The Night of Decree – Shazia Nazlee”

We added a few more points for the laylatul Qadr section. That is the emphasis of dua’. When we last went for umrah, we brainstormed ideas on dua’s that we can make. Subhanallah! I found it helpful, when we have make a list and sectioning them into categories. This Insya Allah help us (them also) focus on the so many things that we can ask from Allah. Indeed as in the hadith

Abu Huraira: Make Dua and be assured of being answered, and know that Allah does not answer a Dua from a careless heart which is not concentrating (Tirmidhi).

Insya Allah, we want to try our best to concentrate on what we want to ask from Allah. Lest it become a mere routine. Said without meaning it.

Anyway, you can find our list of dua’s in this document. In page 12, Insya Allah.

I testify that there is No God but Allah, alone without partners, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

This is based on these two hadith from Sahih Muslim

The Book of Purification (Kitab Al-Taharah)
Muslim :: Book 2 : Hadith 451

‘Uqba b. ‘Amir reported: We were entrusted with the task of tending the camels. On my turn when I came back in the evening after grazing them in the pastures, I found Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) stand and address the people. I heard these words of his: If any Muslim performs ablution well, then stands and prays two rak’ahs setting about them with his heart as well as his face, Paradise would be guaranteed to him. I said: What a fine thing is this! And a narrator who was before me said: The first was better than even this. When I cast a glance, I saw that it was ‘Umair who said: I see that you have just come and observed: If anyone amongst you performs the ablution, and then completes the ablution well and then says: I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the servant of Allah and His Messenger, the eight gates of Paradise would be opened for him and he may enter by whichever of them he wishes.

The Book of Purification (Kitab Al-Taharah)
Muslim :: Book 2 : Hadith 452

Uqba b. ‘Amir al-Juhani reported: Verily the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said and then narrated (the hadith) like one (mentioned above) except (this) that he said: He who performed ablution and said: I testify that there is no god but Allah, the One, there is no associate with Him and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.

From these two hadith, we learn that
1. Say the shahadah after performing the wudhu
2. Perform 2 rakaah sunnah prayer after wudhu’
3. The reward is paradise.
4. And specifically for those who recite the syahadah, the reward is he can enter whichever eight gates of Paradise He wishes. May we be among these people.

Also on top of the shahadah there is a dua that we can recite. This dua is based on the Saheeh Tirmidhi